Power outages, downed trees reported after snow

Town manager tackles storm challenges in final week

Crews with Aphlundh get ready to remove a tree hanging over N.C. 191 after falling on some power lines Wednesday morning. Outages are affecting the region due to inclement weather. Forecasters expect 1-2 inches of snow in Henderson and Transylvania counties today, along with icy conditions that could continue into the night.

“It should all be over by morning,” National Weather Service meteorologist John Tomko said Wednesday.

Though precipitation from previous days could have frozen Wednesday night, Tomko said there's little worry once daybreak comes in the mountains.

“By Thursday afternoon or even late morning, things should be fine,” Tomko said, and Friday's forecast calls for a sunny high of 50 degrees.

On Wednesday, however, the word “fine” was hardly used to describe the weather or the impact it had on the region before noon. On the last full working day before his retirement, Laurel Park Town Manager Jim Ball peered out of his window and saw snow. The morning mix of precipitation turned white around 8 a.m., shrouding the ground and nearly everything on it.

“The weather is actually looking pretty good. It's going to be chilly, but it's supposed to be sunny,” Ball said.

The roads were all clear in Laurel Park by 4 p.m. Gusty winds are expected to die down by noon today, and the forecast for the holiday, Saturday and Sunday calls for balmier days with temperatures in the mid- to upper 40s.

“Be thankful, the weather is going to be great,” Ball said.

The town had prepared for the winter storm, scheduling crews early to deal with the ice and fallen trees the storm would bring. Municipal crews cut and cleared a tree that had fallen onto Laurel Park Highway, threatening to impede an already cautious motoring public.

Another tree fell on Blythe Street, knocking out power along U.S. Highway 64, darkening homes in the Shaw's Creek and Country Ridge communities and interrupting businesses in the town's shopping center. Ball said the power had been restored by 10 a.m.

But in other parts of the county, the power would not be restored until much later into the day and night. At 8:45 a.m. Wednesday, Duke Energy reported 2,076 customers were without power. By 3:15 p.m., more than 1,000 customers were in the dark.

Fallen trees accounted for much of the outages, and Duke Energy spokesperson Randy Wheeless said most outages were small, isolated incidents attributed to inclement weather.

“We have had 20 or 30 different situations going on,” Wheeless said Wednesday afternoon, adding that power restoration was “a little slower than we expected.”

Henderson County Fire Marshal Wally Hollis said no particular part of town was hit harder than another when it came to downed trees, but they did occur in more populated areas such as Flat Rock and northern Hendersonville.

On the roads, however, the icy and snowy weather had little impact. Jason Willis with the N.C. Department of Transportation said the wintry conditions resulted in no significant impact to the county's road networks.

Reflecting on the last three days of inclement weather, Hollis said the county was lucky this time.

“This was three-fold situation here,” he said. “Winter storms are usually our big event for us around here. This time, we had ice and snow and wind and flooding. It was a bit of a pickle, but it wasn't as bad as it could have been.”

Water concerns

This week's rain and snow also led to a wastewater spill and water outages.

On Tuesday evening, a spill occurred within Hendersonville's sanitary sewer system. About 1,800 gallons spilled into Mud Creek from a manhole in the area of 630 Greenville Highway, due to excessive rainfall in and around the city. The N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources' Division of Water Quality was notified Wednesday and is reviewing the matter.

On Wednesday, Hendersonville Water and Sewer customers in the Dellwood, Middleton Place and Indian Hill neighborhoods experienced low or no water after a weather-related power outage. A boil water advisory was issued until further notice.

City crews collected bacteriological samples for testing, and the results are expected by 4 p.m. today. Affected customers will be notified by door hanger when the advisory is rescinded, city officials said.

Periods of low to no pressure increase the potential for back siphonage and the introduction of bacteria into the city's water distribution system. Therefore, the N.C. Division of Water Resources advises that when water is restored, water customers boil all water used for human consumption (including drinking, making ice, brushing teeth, washing dishes and food preparation) or use bottled water. Vigorous boiling for one minute should kill any disease-causing organisms.

<p>After three days of wet and wintry conditions, residents in Western North Carolina can be grateful for sunny skies and worry-free weather this Thanksgiving and well into the weekend.</p><p>“It should all be over by morning,” National Weather Service meteorologist John Tomko said Wednesday.</p><p>Though precipitation from previous days could have frozen Wednesday night, Tomko said there's little worry once daybreak comes in the mountains. </p><p>“By Thursday afternoon or even late morning, things should be fine,” Tomko said, and Friday's forecast calls for a sunny high of 50 degrees. </p><p>On Wednesday, however, the word “fine” was hardly used to describe the weather or the impact it had on the region before noon. On the last full working day before his retirement, Laurel Park Town Manager Jim Ball peered out of his window and saw snow. The morning mix of precipitation turned white around 8 a.m., shrouding the ground and nearly everything on it.</p><p>“The weather is actually looking pretty good. It's going to be chilly, but it's supposed to be sunny,” Ball said.</p><p>The roads were all clear in Laurel Park by 4 p.m. Gusty winds are expected to die down by noon today, and the forecast for the holiday, Saturday and Sunday calls for balmier days with temperatures in the mid- to upper 40s.</p><p>“Be thankful, the weather is going to be great,” Ball said. </p><p>The town had prepared for the winter storm, scheduling crews early to deal with the ice and fallen trees the storm would bring. Municipal crews cut and cleared a tree that had fallen onto Laurel Park Highway, threatening to impede an already cautious motoring public. </p><p>Another tree fell on Blythe Street, knocking out power along U.S. Highway 64, darkening homes in the Shaw's Creek and Country Ridge communities and interrupting businesses in the town's shopping center. Ball said the power had been restored by 10 a.m.</p><p>But in other parts of the county, the power would not be restored until much later into the day and night. At 8:45 a.m. Wednesday, Duke Energy reported 2,076 customers were without power. By 3:15 p.m., more than 1,000 customers were in the dark. </p><p>Fallen trees accounted for much of the outages, and Duke Energy spokesperson Randy Wheeless said most outages were small, isolated incidents attributed to inclement weather.</p><p>“We have had 20 or 30 different situations going on,” Wheeless said Wednesday afternoon, adding that power restoration was “a little slower than we expected.”</p><p>Henderson County Fire Marshal Wally Hollis said no particular part of town was hit harder than another when it came to downed trees, but they did occur in more populated areas such as Flat Rock and northern Hendersonville.</p><p>On the roads, however, the icy and snowy weather had little impact. Jason Willis with the N.C. Department of Transportation said the wintry conditions resulted in no significant impact to the county's road networks.</p><p>Reflecting on the last three days of inclement weather, Hollis said the county was lucky this time.</p><p>“This was three-fold situation here,” he said. “Winter storms are usually our big event for us around here. This time, we had ice and snow and wind and flooding. It was a bit of a pickle, but it wasn't as bad as it could have been.”</p><p><b>Water concerns </b></p><p>This week's rain and snow also led to a wastewater spill and water outages. </p><p>On Tuesday evening, a spill occurred within Hendersonville's sanitary sewer system. About 1,800 gallons spilled into Mud Creek from a manhole in the area of 630 Greenville Highway, due to excessive rainfall in and around the city. The N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources' Division of Water Quality was notified Wednesday and is reviewing the matter. </p><p>On Wednesday, Hendersonville Water and Sewer customers in the Dellwood, Middleton Place and Indian Hill neighborhoods experienced low or no water after a weather-related power outage. A boil water advisory was issued until further notice. </p><p>City crews collected bacteriological samples for testing, and the results are expected by 4 p.m. today. Affected customers will be notified by door hanger when the advisory is rescinded, city officials said. </p><p>Periods of low to no pressure increase the potential for back siphonage and the introduction of bacteria into the city's water distribution system. Therefore, the N.C. Division of Water Resources advises that when water is restored, water customers boil all water used for human consumption (including drinking, making ice, brushing teeth, washing dishes and food preparation) or use bottled water. Vigorous boiling for one minute should kill any disease-causing organisms.</p>